desimms clips 4u

Post Disclaimer: All photos reference the THAT of which I am thinking and not the THIS of which I am doing. There are too many THISs to photograph. Doing:: Replacing six 10 1/2 ft structural porch columns on the front of our house :: waiting impatiently to have this installed in the dining room :: and two of these and one of these in the hallway :: attending to the lingering details in Nicolas's room and the girls' room after having renovated both :: considering which day to buy our Christmas tree and therefore decorate the whole house Thinking:: About picking up all the little sunshine crochet squares I started last winter on the couch with Juliana and lots of Whoppers :: Wondering if I need all those things again to be able to do it :: Yes, I do :: I was originally inspired by an amazing blanket that I saw either on etsy or flickr or both.... I think by a talented (Northern?) European woman.... and she had it styled on a modern gray couch.... anyone? I have seen sever...

I have been wanting to photo all those adorable Amigurumi toys that Juliana made for her siblings. Once I half-heartedly looked through the playroom and found two, got distracted. Another time I found one in the living room, had the thought to then keep looking but sunlight was fading. I always seem to see a few when I'm not ready to take a photo. (I'm pretty sure that this is a cruel truth of blogging.) But today, the first day in I don't know how long where I was entirely alone for an entire day in my home (happy dance), I thought that I would (rays of sunshine too) find all those little varmints and shoot their portrait. So, I looked. I found one. One duck. Ya know why I found it? Cause it's mine. Juliana made this one for me. One duck. One cranky duck who cannot find any of her dumbigurumi toy friends anywhere. What is with my kids!? This place is a complete and total mess! (I'm very sure that this is a cruel truth of mothering.) But on my hunt a...

But while she was here we crocheted. A lot. I think I've mentioned this. What I haven't mentioned is that the happiness that it gives me is something hard to describe. Its simple and its complex maybe, too. Its this: it is a feeling of laziness, happiness, fulfillment and duty all in one. It gives my lungs goose bumps and I feel like nothing will ever sadden me ever again, because we've sat busy, together, working away and enjoying. (Please make fun of me now, roll your eyes, or click to a worthy blog or get back to work or something. I understand.) On the same shopping trip where I bought knee socks and pajama pants she made the more ambitious purchases of mint green nail polish and poppy red lipstick, which indicated that she was the more likely of the two us to get off the couch at some point and do something with people who do things. This scarf that she made is just the continuous pattern of whats referred to in my go-to-crochet-book as the strawberry stitc...

We were somewhere. Textile , I think. And Isabela saw a scarf that was ruffled around all edges. I remember it to be a knitted scarf, but I felt confident that we could crochet it. She picked out a wooly yarn with teal, navy, black and with some accents of rust spun along. As it is such a thick yarn, I used a really large hook beginning by just making a couple rows of single crochet along the length. I included some baubles in the next row, then repeated another few rows of single crochet. So after about 5 rows of sc, I began to double crochet. Every few stitches I included 3 or 4 dc's into a single stitch to begin creating the ruffle. Then it seems it was the very next row that I began to scallop by hooking about 7 treble crochets into one stitch, then skipping 2 or 3 stitches, slip stitching through the next, skipping a few again then trebling several into one again. And so on. Got it? I just thought I would tell ya in case you wanted to wing one. The above pose was her i...

Its embarrassing how much my rear has been in a cushy chair crocheting for the past few weeks. I was all set to just do one or two things, but then Juliana seems to have become just as obsessed with hook and yarn, so that the pair of us now just encourage it in the other. We crochet, we chat, we nibble, we repeat. I did leave the house once this week with all the girls to go shopping. But I bought a new pair of pajama pants and some knee socks. We know where that'll take me. One night our cro chatting had us up till 4am. But we were finishing Christmas gifts. So that's excusable. Another night 2 am. Most nights after 12am. Then finally one night had us giggling so hard and trying to fit Whoppers in our nostrils so I told her that the next night she had to go out and spend time with people her own age. More mature than me. Anyway. I made a lion for my baby. His first word was ROAR. So they get along perfectly. I was inspired by the lovely Blabla line of soft toys...

A few more pushes and a coupla shoves and we'll have ourselves a complete Roman room. Then I promise to bring you the whole space with details and sources. I really had to chuckle a little at the oohs and aahhs and waahhs about painting over the handpainted wall. I would be lying if I told you doing this hurts me. It doesn't. I love a clean slate. The hard work buried underneath has never called out to me. Ever. Its not forgotten, just done and its purpose served. I could no sooner live with the same handpainted wall than I could keep sewing with the same fabrics. These things are special to me, but never sacred. They are just that. Things. The little, rambunctious blurs of happy that live amongst these things that I create, however, they are all the inspiration and all the joy. And if these loves can delight in the things I make then I am amused . Not fulfilled, just amused. We delight in one another and so move forward. lots of love from the partially finished...

I don't want to take it off. The temperatures being what they are, however, I will be taking it off. While this is definitely a perfect Summer sweater, I wouldn't call it a perfect Summer in Tennessee sweater (not sure there is such a thing) until perhaps the evening hours or indoors only. But this is going to be a perfect year-round layer. Happy. Happy. I made the medium size (pattern and yarn details here ) and I feel like I could have made the small- though I wear a medium to a large (8-10) in most clothing items. I am pretty sure the linen yarn gives more, and therefore the overall is a bit stretchier and hitting longer than shown on the model in the book. But thankfully the open drop style and sleeve style lends itself to being really cool whether the fit is generous or abbreviated. One sweater for me. Check. Now for those baby pants . Amanda is currently setting me straight there. xo, Anna

Does that make me a bad mother? Its just that I got this book , and I got this yarn , and I can't put either of them down for anything lately. Just look how pretty that sweater is! I could really get used to this following-a-crochet-pattern-business, now that I found one that I actually like! Maybe I don't look hard enough, but I rarely find a book of patterns for crochet that I love- it's always shawls and granny squares (which I love, but don't want to wear), and not basic enough- there is so much more out there for knitting, and somehow that still hasn't gotten me knitting. This is why I normally make things up as I go along, and almost never make fitted items, because I am too impatient to sit down a make a plan before I begin. (Insert your crochet book recommendations here.) I am making the Sardinia sweater which just happens to be on the cover. This brochure is filled with gorgeous patterns, I would wear every one of them. Seriously. I could be sligh...

I find it shocking that right before a storm hits grocery stores run out of eggs, milk, bread, but always have plenty of cocoa and marshmallows left. What is everyone thinking? Have a cozy weekend. xoAM ( ps. I loved reading about everyone else's musical rooms. good, good memories to make and remember. )

I have been stealing as many moments as possible in the crochet chair ever since Thanksgiving, and slowly everyone is getting a little layer of love added to their wintry accessories. I need to remind you that I have no real knowledge of what I'm doing when I sit down to crochet anything, and typically just make it up as I go. Maybe everyone feels this way. I think this is why knitting has never stuck with me. It seems less like something you can manipulate like I have been able to get away with when crocheting. My mom has taught me to knit precisely six times and I still haven't gotten comfortable with it. But I do have knit envy , especially when it comes to all those wonderful hand knit socks and lovely sock yarns. I have been using several sock yarns (which I would consider the above) for things that are not socks which feels like a guilty pleasure. All that said, I love a quickie. I fell in love with this skein at my favorite local fabric shop turned local fab...

I can't say enough to thank you for all your kind thoughts and comments in response to my last post which I did not begin with the intent of pouring out quite so much. It just came as I wrote, and I left it there. Someone said something about how good that overly emotional time of pregnancy can be for you, like catharsis, and I agree, wholeheartedly. I'm not too much of a dweller, but often feel that there are times and thoughts that deserve to be noted by saying or writing outloud, good or bad, it helps me move on....uh so moving on. The patterns! Land sakes, we've been shipping and shipping and shipping to lots of shops around the globe, and happy to say (if you're not already in the know ) that the goods are in our shop now too. I really, really hope everyone enjoys these patterns, they were a lot of work to put together, but can say I'm pleased as punch. I've already begun a flickr group for them, so join in the fun should you choose, and please sh...

Juliana, Jeff and I were able to sneak just the 3 (erh, I guess I count as 2, so 4) of us to Manhattan for several days while the rest had farm days at Grandma's house over spring break. Consider this my excuse note for the blog principal. Main intention being getting an early look at Parsons for Juliana, but, of course mixed in with plenty of eating, shopping, training, cabbing, with the bonus of spending every night with my brother George and his family on Long Island. And the double-dog bonus of getting to eat my brother's homecooked meals at each day's end. But it was a beginning of sorts. The beginning of taking a proactive approach to finding a college home for the big bub. This is new. We can talk all we want, but move, and fly, and gather information books, and talk with counselors, and tour? Really? Are we sure? Okay. The trip was filled with such a range of emotions, most of them excitement and promise and interest. But please. I really don't mea...

I've had some really lovely days here, despite how the week started. (Thanks for all your well-wishes, the foot and I are currently without further incident.) So many early mornings here start just like above. I try to get on the computer and plot out my day before most of the little people are awake. This one eventually stumbles in and transitions from asleep to awake just like that. One of the new studio features is the extremely cozy armchair+blanket+pillows situated in front of the drawing table. I think here is where I would typically say new pictures of the studio coming soon , but I'll skip saying that and then maybe they'll just happen on their own. But, seriously, soon. I got the best phone call ever on Monday while I was in said waiting room. A call from my mom to see if I wanted some company for a few days. I think I said DUH . And then life just got great. (and it was going along fine before.) Someone to crochet and knit with, lunch with, shop with...